Privacy, Innovation and Big Data: What Does the Future Hold?

David Keating moderated this program sponsored by the Georgia Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society. Technologies used to collect and analyze vast amounts of data have made quantum leaps forward in recent years. At the same time, the cost of storage of data has continued a dramatic trend downward. The result is Big Data – large datasets compiled by businesses and governmental authorities, which can be used to identify individuals from disparate bits of information and to derive intimate details about individuals’ activities online and in the physical world. This panel discussion focused on how governments and businesses collect vast amounts of data about peoples’ lives and how that information, now called Big Data, is analyzed and used. The panelists discussed issues relating to the balancing of Big Data’s benefits against actual or perceived privacy costs, and whether existing legal frameworks are sufficient to address this new paradigm.